About Cal Skinner

We Hate Spam!

We have recently instituted a system of spam control that helps keep the McHenry County Blog a lean, mean information machine. A side product of this process is that in certain cases you might be blocked or challenged to prove that you aren't a robot in order to comment on articles.

If for some reason the automated processes that are in place to prove that you are a human do not work, or if you have any other technical problems with the blog, please email techguy at any time for speedy resolution.

Teachers Retirement System of Illinois (TRS) pension benefits were increased through legislation signed by
Governors in the very same years the State of Illinois Contribution to TRS (on behalf of the school district employers) pensions was being shorted by Governors.

Both Democratic and Republican Governors, State Representatives, and State Senators.

Michael Madigan – State Rep 1971 – Present and a delegate at the 1970 Constitutional Convention.

The madness began escalating in 1970 when the so called pension protection clause (which should be called the pension benefit hike protection clause) was added to the Illinois State Constitution at the Illinois State Constitutional Conventional in 1970.

It’s one sentence.

“Membership in any pension or retirement system of the State, any unit of local government or school district, or any agency or instrumentality thereof, shall be an enforceable contractual relationship, the benefits of which shall not be diminished or impaired.”

There is a 300 page book written about the fiasco called Illinois Pension Scam by Bill Zettler which you can buy for the whopping price of $3 Kindle version on Amazon.com, and candle can be installed an read on just about any electronic gadget including smartphone, table, laptop, and desktop.

Pension benefit hikes were and are bargaining chips used by Legislators and Governors in exchange for campaign contributions, votes, and electioneering assistance.

This has gone on for over 40 years.

This still goes on today!

Just in 2013 Early Retirement Option (ERO) was passed so teachers and administrators can continue to retire
EARLIER than their already early retirement.

It should be called Early Early Retirement Option (EERO) – call a spade a spade.

Let’s sum it up.

They are all a bunch of crooks.

Legal crooks.

They make the illegal, legal.

Whacko.

Those benefit hikes were nowhere close to being fully funded.

Any supposed funded is based on projections which never turn out to be true.

In ERO renewal in 2013 the employer and employee contributions were hiked because past projections turned out the be short.

And you lucky taxpayer the ERO employer contribution (school district) is TWICE the contribution of the EMPLOYEE.

They just ride the gravy train and cash out.

The other Republicans in the Governor primary will not adequately reform a pensions system they themselves stand to benefit from greatly.

And the younger you are as an employee receiving one of those pensions the more you stand to lose by voting for the status quo, because the system as it stands is one giant ponzi scheme that requires new investor money to pay off existing investors.

The system cannot stand on its own.

Because it’s grossly underfunded.

Because benefits have been hiked.

Causing the State of Illinois Contribution to be hiked.

Any analysis of the TRS and other state pensions (SERS, SURS, GARS, JRS) needs to go back to 1970 because that is when the madness began.

What analysis of state pensions goes back to 1970.

NONE.

The analyses you have seen which state benefit hikes are not the main cause for the underfunding of the pension system DO NOT GO BACK TO 1970!

Completely dysfunctional.

It’s absolutely unbelievable it’s true.

100 years from now they will be wondering how on earth this was even possible.

The benefit hikes were never based on sound financial math, rather pure political horse trading.

So the claim that anyone is being shorted by reforming pensions is garbage.

Quite the opposite.

Taxpayers have been taken for a ride.

No one ever explained to taxpayers what was happening.

What were the legislators and governors supposed to say?

Hey taxpayers we are taking money out of your wallet to fund yet another pension benefit hike for government
employees whom provide us campaign contributions, votes, and electioneering assistance.

Money taxpayers could be using to fund their less generous retirement programs.

Even after reform those government employees will have a better retirement program than private.

Those whom started there career in 2011 or after have a less generous program.

There are exceptions and nuances but that is it in a nutshell.

A big nut.

Let’s close with a doozy.

You still don’t believe legislators and Governors were a bunch of practical if not technical crooks?

Pensions legislation in several cases was written that would apply to SPECIFIC employees!

The Chicago Tribune has written several articles about that.

Whatever Rauner’s shortcomings it can’t be worse than what we have endured for the last 40 years.